


A Challenge

by emmakaito



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Goodbyes, Implied Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28270968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmakaito/pseuds/emmakaito
Summary: "What do you say?”“I'd say I'll take your challenge.”He didn't miss the flash of pride in Ging's eyes.  “I thought you might.  Which is why I wanted to take you out tonight.  One last night together.  And it's Christmas.  I wanted to spend it with you before I go.”
Relationships: Ging Freecs/Kaito | Kite
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	A Challenge

**Author's Note:**

> A short little Christmas-y story with Kite and Ging. Mostly for writing practice. Feedback is very welcome!
> 
> Disclaimer(s): Hunter x Hunter and its characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

Kite noticed the slight spring in Ging's steps as he followed him who knows where. He never questioned it anymore. He was used to Ging keeping everything a mystery.

He let him lead him on and on, maybe half an hour. Eventually, Ging started whistling, piquing his curiosity. Should he ask? Would he tell him if he did?

Unlikely, so he kept quiet and followed, keeping his pace even so as not to overtake Ging's shorter strides.

Funny, Kite used to be shorter. Since Ging took him in and he'd been able to eat and train properly, he'd grown almost a full head taller than his master.

But then, no one ever noticed Ging's stature. They noticed his intense hazel eyes, his determined stare, his firm voice, his strong demeanor.

For Kite, it was his eyes, striking and warm. He could lose himself in those eyes, as he had many a day and night over the years they'd been together.

The height difference made things interesting, especially behind closed doors. It didn't faze Ging that Kite towered over him.

He focused back on his surroundings when he noticed Ging singing.

He strained to hear, Ging's tone so soft he couldn't make out the words. It sounded familiar but he couldn't place it.

But Ging's voice was soothing. The tension dropped from his shoulders, and a little smile curved his lips.

Everything about Ging was comforting. His presence, the way he spoke, how Kite's heart raced and his body felt warm when Ging brushed up against him or got too close.

It wasn't the cold that made him pull his cloak closer to his face, but to hide the blush at the image of Ging pinning him to the bed, hands ghosting over his bare skin, lips pressed to his neck, fingers pulling at his long white hair.

He quickly brushed that aside and centered his attention on following Ging in the present. The town they were staying in was so quiet tonight. He kept his guard up out of habit. He trusted Ging wouldn't take them anywhere dangerous without warning him.

Ging kept singing as they went on.

 _'He must be in a good mood.'_ Not that Ging was bad-tempered but he wasn't particularly mellow either.

Ging slowed suddenly and turned into what looked to be a restaurant, one of the few places open tonight, it seemed. From the outside, it gave little impression; the name lacked flair, and its appearance left something to be desired. The inside, however...

Kite noticed the cool colors first. Black, blue, bronze, red here and there, all complimenting each other. A quiet, calm environment. Soft music. Pleasing scents that made his mouth water.

He didn't notice Ging speaking to the host until they were being lead to a table, tucked away in a corner, secluded from the rest. A private setting for a date, Kite realized. But what for? Ging wasn't one for showing off.

“What's this about?” Kite asked as he glanced over the menu.

“Does it need to be about anything?”

“With you, it does.”

Ging smiled. “You know me too well, Kite. Choose what you want. Once we have our dinner, I'll tell you.”

Kite nodded, satisfied with his answer for now.

He watched Ging after they ordered and waited for their meals. The other man stared back. He didn't feel awkward. He never did with Ging. Eye contact without speaking was nothing.

He wasted no time bringing up the subject again when their order arrived and the waiter left them in peace.

“So, tell me.”

“Always so blunt.”

“Ging.”

The man addressed looked at him sharply. He knew Ging still wasn't used to Kite calling him by his name instead of Master since returning from passing the Hunter Exam.

But he wasn't against it. He remembered Ging whispering to him once only a few weeks before, “I love the sound of my name from your mouth.”

The blush returned. Ging smirked at him. “What's going on in that pretty head of yours, Kite?”

“Nothing. So, talk.”

Ging's smile was softer now. Almost...sad, if Kite wasn't mistaken.

There was something else there too, something he couldn't place.

“To put it as directly as you would...I have a challenge for you.”

Kite regarded him flatly. “You're stalling.”

Ging bristled. “You want to know or not?”

Kite barely stopped the smile from spreading over his face. “Fine. Go ahead.”

Ging sighed. He seemed to hold back, as if reconsidering what he wanted to say. To encourage him, Kite took his hand and squeezed, which he noticed gave Ging some confidence.

“So you're a Hunter now, and that's commendable. You worked hard for your license. But do you truly feel like a Hunter?”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it.”

He did, and quickly found his answer. “You want me to go on a hunt?”

Ging's expression told him he was on the right track. “Go on.”

“Just get to the point, Ging.”

“So impatient.” He sipped his drink, set it down carefully, the smile never fading. “I want you to hunt me.”

Kite's eyes widened and he just stared, unsure how to respond.

“Not as in hunt me down like an animal,” Ging reassured him with a trace of a laugh in his voice. “But I want you to prove to me you're worth all the trouble I put in to train you for that license, which you insisted on. A Hunter always gets their prey. Prove to me you're a Hunter worthy of the title.”

If it were anyone else, Kite might be offended but this was Ging he was talking to. His words weren't always meant to be taken at face value. It was a game figuring out when that was and wasn't the case, a game they both found amusement in.

“So you'll disappear and I'll find you.”

“Yes.”

“What's the conditions? The limits?”

“None. Just find me. You have the means necessary to take care of yourself now, and access to vital information, short of anything classified. You may have to search the entire country. Maybe even the world. But when you find me, I promise you, it'll feel worth the effort. What do you say?”

When. Not if. Ging had faith in him. He always did, from the day they met. One of many ways Ging saved his life when he had nothing and no one.

No clues. He would hide his tracks. Kite would have his work cut out for him. Perhaps it would be the most difficult task of his life. Ging knew how to vanish, as if he never existed.

But as much as that startled him...it excited him as well.

Of course it did. He was the student of Ging Freecss. It made sense some of his teacher's personality rubbed off on him.

And after all, he was a Hunter now. If Ging believed in him, he could believe in himself.

“I'd say I'll take your challenge.”

He didn't miss the flash of pride in Ging's eyes. “I thought you might. Which is why I wanted to take you out tonight. One last night together. And it's Christmas. I wanted to spend it with you before I go.”

“And you waited until now to spring this on me.”

“You can hit me if you want. I won't stop you.”

“You've gone soft.”

“See what you've done to me?”

Kite supposed the full weight of the situation would sink in later but for now, he let himself enjoy the night with Ging. He couldn't know when he'd see him again.

They finished dinner. More conversation. More laughter. He loved how Ging's entire face lit up when he laughed, the way his voice was always so strong and passionate no matter what he spoke of. The latter was what initially attracted Kite to him, and that hadn't changed at all.

After, they returned to their hotel room. He fell into the bed with Ging and pulled him close.

He wanted to see Ging's face, wanted to memorize every detail, wanted to touch and taste him. Ging took his time, slow, sensual, staying in the moment as long as possible. Kite left his marks for Ging to remember him by: bites on his neck, scratches on his back and shoulders, sighing his name.

He lay in Ging's arms after, savoring his warmth, his strength, the feeling of his lover's hands playing with his hair, listening to his breathing and the beat of his heart until he gave in to sleep.

He was a light sleeper – years of struggling to survive as he grew up in the streets forced him to be – so in the middle of the night, he thought he felt Ging brush his hair back from his face and plant a chaste kiss to his forehead, staying there for several long seconds before pulling away.

But he could have imagined it. He hoped not.

When he awoke, all traces of Ging were gone except one.

A hastily scribbled note reading, “ _The room is paid for through the next week. Get some rest before you start. Good luck_."

That was all. Kite thought maybe it should sting but it didn't. This was just how Ging was. He knew that. He accepted it.

Ging was a Hunter through and through. It took priority over everything else, even Kite, which Kite himself accepted.

Ging's words repeated themselves: _“A Hunter always gets their prey.”_

Despite everything, Kite couldn't help but smile.

“I'll find you soon, Ging.”


End file.
